sputum

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun expectorated matter; saliva mixed with discharges from the respiratory passages; in ancient and medieval physiology it was believed to cause sluggishness

From New Latin, from Latin sputum (“that which is spit out, spittle”), from spuere (“to spit”).

But sputum had also a place in the Greek and Roman rituals. — The Satyricon — Complete, Petronius Arbiter
Dr. Meir Witchell holds that the infectious character of laughter is due to the instantaneous fermentation of sputa diffused in a spray. — The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce
Frank spat into the water and looked like a full grown man; he spat through a gap in his teeth, directing the sputum in any direction he wished. — Demian, Hermann Hesse

phlegm

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